Study Finds More Than 300 Juveniles Were Shot by Police Between 2015 and 2020, One-Third of Them Fatally

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions found that 317 juveniles under age 18 were shot by police between 2015 and 2020, one-third of them fatally. The Center for Gun Violence Solutions is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 

Shootings of juveniles by police represented about 3% of the 10,000-plus shootings by police during the six-year period. The average age of juveniles shot by police was 15.5 years old versus an average age of 36 years old for adults shot by police.  

The study, published online November 19 in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is thought to be the first national study of juvenile injuries and deaths due to shootings by police in the U.S. 

The U.S. has one of the highest police-shooting rates in the world. Previous studies have found that young people are more likely to be stopped by the police. The researchers set out to examine the differences between juvenile and adult shootings by police across race and ethnicity, sex, gender, incident type, and police-response characteristics. The researchers found differences between juveniles and adults in nearly every category. 

The analysis found that more than half—54%—of youth victims of police shootings where race and ethnicity were determined were non-Hispanic Black, compared to 29% of adults victims of police shootings. Nine percent of juveniles shot by police were female versus 5% of adults. The researchers note that for more than half—52.5%—of the juvenile victims and more than one-quarter—26.4%—of the adult victims, race and ethnicity were not determinable from the data sources.  

The authors estimate that juveniles injured in shootings by police had 34% lower odds of dying from their injuries than adults injured in shootings by police.  

The most common incidents leading to police interaction among juveniles shot by police were carjackings or robberies (22%), traffic stops (19%), and shootings (9%). In contrast, the most common incidents among adults shot by police were domestic incidents (16%), traffic stops (16%), warrants or arrests (10%), and shootings (9%).

 The study underscores the critical need to identify and develop effective public health and policing strategies aimed at reducing the number of young people shot by law enforcement each year. 

“In light of our findings, one avenue forward is to implement strategies that enhance police officer knowledge, skills, and competencies as they pertain to child and adolescent development,” says Dylan B. Jackson, PhD, MS, associate professor in the Bloomberg School’s Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health and lead author of the study. “In addition to adopting restrictive use-of-force policies, police departments should prioritize developmentally tailored, trauma-informed youth-interaction policies and training that can improve youth-police encounters.” 

For their study, the research team manually searched the Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan nonprofit founded in 2013 that maintains a database of fatal and nonfatal gun violence, drawing from media, law enforcement, government, and commercial sources. The research team identified 10,382 shootings by police resulting in nonfatal or fatal injuries that reported the victim’s age or described the victim as “juvenile” or adult between 2015 and 2020.  

Additional findings include: 

• Among juveniles, 12% exhibited behavioral health needs versus 23% of adults. 
• Among juveniles, 19% were unarmed at the time of the shooting versus 9% of adults. 
• Among juveniles, 24% were shot during a single-officer response versus 16% of adults.   
• Among juveniles, 54% of incidents were initiated by an officer versus 36% of those involving adults. 

Looking ahead, the study’s authors say better data collection is needed to address and minimize harm caused by police shootings. Additionally, law enforcement officials should consider implementing prevention and intervention strategies that focus on reducing use of force against—and improving their interactions with—juveniles.  

The authors note that the study has limitations, as there may be unmeasured factors that contribute to differences between juvenile and adult police shootings. Factors could include the number of shots fired, the number and bodily location of gunshot wounds, and the individual’s response to being apprehended by police. Other limitations include incomplete race/ethnicity data and data precision, completeness, and consistency concerns given varied data collection practices across jurisdictions. 

 “Juvenile Injuries and Deaths from Shootings by Police in the United States, 2015-2020” was authored by Dylan B. Jackson, Alexander Testa, Daniel C. Semenza, Cassandra Crifasi, and Julie A. Ward. 

The study was funded by the New Venture Fund and the Joyce Foundation. Additional funding was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation